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1.1.7-Columbina
Brick!Club 1.1.7: Cravatte In which we get a whole chapter further outlining the philosophy that lets the Bishop leave his door unlocked all the time, and I try not to repeat myself regarding why I think this both great and ridiculous. I’m making myself write my own post before reading everyone else’s, because I peeked and started going “Ahhh, everyone’s already said what I wanted to say, and a hundred times more eloquently D:” so I made myself stop. Apologies if I’m going over anything that’s been done to death. Also I’m going to cut it because wow I apparently had a lot to say about this chapter. (It’s okay though because I read ahead and I’m not sure I have that much to say tomorrow.) *Google translate on Gaspard Bes’s Wikipedia article, because I am determined to do this right and find out about these French things I don’t know about, tells me that he is well due for a Ritchie!Sherlock-style blockbuster. A non-violent Robin Hood (complete with merry men, it seems) who disguised himself as a noble at a party and charmed everyone while stealing their valuables and whose treasure has never been found? PLEASE WORLD I WANT THIS FILM. *(Also he gathered his merry men in Toulon, ha. Instant headcanon that Valjean served with at least one of his less lucky men, who would have been getting old, but maybe he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and Bes was executed in 1781, despite the support of the people of Provence, so he’d probably entered into legendary status by this point and this follower would be revered by the other prisoners, probably even the guards. Except Javert, obviously. Ahhhh Javert talking to a follower of this Robin Hood folk hero figure or arguing with the other guards who slip him extra food or whatever, someone write this please.) *''“What would they say to a bishop who was afraid?”'' Probably that you were being entirely reasonable. But I do like this explanation of the Bishop’s behaviour, probably because it’s one of the few times he’s not acting as though his level of faith is the level that should be expected from everyone. For once he’s holding himself to a higher standard - although I suppose it’s implied by ‘the door of a priest should always be open’, he’s not saying everyone should go around with doors unlocked, just priests (EXCEPT YOU LIVE WITH NON-PRIESTS TOO MATE). *''“Hold,” said the Bishop, “I must think of that. You are right. I may meet them. They, too, need to be told of the good God.”'' SO SASSY, BISHOP. I enjoy his sassy way of forcing everyone up onto his level by pretending they’re already there, because it’s impossible to disagree with someone when they’re acting like you’re a better person than you are. It would still be annoying as all get out in real life though, and doesn’t actually make for as convincing an argument as the last line. *Given that these brigands have a reputation as Robin Hood-types, maybe “I should beg alms of them for my poor.” isn’t actually as far-fetched as it seems? Still, OKAY HUGO WE GET IT. He gets a ridiculous amount of strength from his faith OKAY. *God, I’m sounding like a broken record here, but once again, the Bishop’s response of “''is that really all?” when the mayor tells him he is risking his life. I enjoy the sassiness and approve of the sentiment but don’t actually agree. At least for once he leaves the ladies out of it, slightly redeeming his treatment of them in my eyes. That said, taking a child though man. *I started trying to Wikipedia up Te Deum and got all manner of confused because man, Catholics, and also I think I’m having some reading interpretation fail when it comes to sorting out what it is used for today vs what it has always been used for. I’m sure someone more knowledgable than me has already covered this, so I look forward to checking the tags for it. *“To him who contents himself with the surplice of a curate, God sends the cope of an archbishop.”'' (Margin note: Things I need to work on in life) *''The Bishop looked steadily at the cure, and repeated with authority, “God!”'' Most of the time he makes his point with cleverly calculated optimism, but on this he’s just like no, you shut up and listen to me. *It’s interesting that when he starts going on about not fearing robbers nor murderers, he tells his sister, “''never a precaution on the part of the priest, against his fellow-man. That which his fellow does, God permits.” I wonder this comes chronologically before or after the chapter with the guillotine where he says “''It is wrong to become absorbed in the divine law to such a degree as not to perceive human law. Death belongs to God alone. By what right do men touch that unknown thing?” I can see the theoretical difference between committing murder and enforcing the death penalty, when it comes to sin and sympathy, but. If his fellows are enforcing the death penalty, doesn’t that mean that God permits it, which is the right by which men are then touching it? I’m having trouble expressing this the way I want to, and I can see the point Hugo / the Bishop wanted to make, but, mate, you can’t have it both ways. *Although this is arguably tied up with “Let us pray, not for ourselves, but that our brother may not fall into sin on our account”, which is a line and sentiment that I really, really like, but I still feel like he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too when it comes to forgiving murderers and condemning the death penalty. *OH MY GOD WILL I NEVER SHUT UP, OKAY, REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH TIME. Like a surprising amount of what the Bishop does, this also falls under the ‘well-intentioned and admirable in theory, slightly dodgy in practice’ umbrella. Which is super interesting! Because back when I read this book for the first (and until now, only) time when I was 14 or 15 or so, I happily accepted everything and was all &bishop; (because that was the kind of lingo that was hip when when I was that age amirite lj peeps) but now that Brick!Club is making me go slowly through it and really think about each chapter, I am finding all these new and exciting depths, which, I mean, I know that’s the point, and I know that’s obviously what was going to happen, but it doesn’t make it any less fun! Commentary Kingedmundsroyalmurder Oh Lord, I want that fic so much. And the films. And a battle of morality between Javert and the prisoner about whether it is truly Good and Just to stick to the law or whether it is better to live up to one’s own ideals and help those in need. (And also Javert during the revolution and subsequent Terror fic, but that’s a different issue.)